Bodybuilding for the Beginner!

personally my view is that unlessyou are looking to become a powerlifter then squatting to parrallel is fine as any deeper really starts to open the knees up. Feet should be shoulder width. Improving the squat is just about getting your reps, weight, sets, rest and diet right. You can try 1x 20 rep set as your whole squat routine but this is only advised if you are an experienced lifter. Personally I'd say just keep adding the weight on little by little. One thing you can try is 5x5 (5x sets of 5 reps) on your squat. This is where you struggle to do the 5th rep on the 1st set (so it's heavy). By set 5x you'll be lucky to squat 2-3 reps of the same weight..... that's fine btw. Couple of sessions later you'll be able to add more weight on.

Uranus, eve meal is fine as it'll be a good 20 mins before you get home after the gym. Simple carb is basic sugars (a banana is perfect) fructose, glucose, sucrose, etc.

Cashman, thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

Cashman is there anychance of a 3 day routine im about to start out but dont want to be massive just want to be 1.Stronger 2.Fitter 3.Better physique. Im 6ft1 and 140 pounds my ideal weight would be about 175-180 pounds

dazzadwn... getting massive is not an easy thing mate LOL. To add 40Ibs of muscle is going to take time, sacrifice, dedication and application.

a 3 day verysion of the routine would add shoulders to chest day and traps to back day (but just one excercise from each... so add military press straight after chest work, and add barbell shrugs straight after back work)

it will take a while, especially after the initial boost, which can look big at first but will probably start to slow down after a while!


btw cashman, your routine is still great after 8 weeks, i gained another 7 pounds in the last 4 weeks for a grand total of a stone!

and im starting creatine to see if this supplement is worth something on me, and im quitting drinking monday for a couple of months so I will finally be able to hold to my diet on week-ends (really couldnt get up for eggs in the morning on week-ends!!) so I won't be ashamed of posting my journal, which I started and stopped... and will restart soon!

thanks for all your advices once more

Superb progress bob and congrats. Bet you are looking very different than to a couple of months back. Good luck with the creatine and let me know how it works for you.

well the 14 pounds seems pretty compact imo, but as long as its muscles its all good!

and its concentrated on my legs and ass, because they were like chopsticks haha! but those 2 look very different

good stuff. Not surprising that legs have grown. Your body will always look to balance itself if you train in a balanced manner and the parts that were lagging will tend to catch up. Muscle is much denser than bodyfat so 14Ib of muscle won't look as much as 14Ib of fat on you but t's VERY well done in only 8 weeks bro.

Hey I'v just found 1 1/2 stone! I just bought some scales of my own and found out I'm 11 1/2 stone. Maybe the scales I used before were broken. Or maybe these ones are! Aaaaaaah!

Cashman, ive been following your beginners routine for about 5 months or so, doing the 5x5 for the last 3 months with a week or 2 off due to illness along the way.
Im thinking of changing my routine soon, i really liked the initial (3x8 , 4x8 etc..) routine you posted, would i see gains by going BACK to this routine or moving onto something entirely different?

hi guys,

Just a quick question

is it normal to want to throw up after pushing yourself hard or is it my body saying take it easy??

Cheers

C

dont take it easy:
What is your Pre-workout meal/shake? and give us the timing on this one!
do you eat while you train?
what time of day you train?

markymark... yes. If you keep the weights challenging, push yourself with higfh intensity, keep strict form and get your diet nailed then the change will do you good.

chauncy... yes. It can be quite commen when you start out as your body and CNS are not used to the strains you are putting on it. Just make sure you don't east too near the start of your session. Will pass in after a few sessions (or at least lessen)

Hi

Thanks for the advice Cashman!
I'm a beginner and I'd like to get it right from the start. When you suggest the following, how much resting time would you suggest between sets and between exercises?
Cheers!

THURSDAY - Legs & Abs
5 min warm-up
Barbell Squats 4 sets 6-8 reps
Stiff Legged Dead Lifts 3 sets 6-8 reps
Calf Raises 4 sets 8-10 reps (last set to fail)
Weighted Swiss Ball crunches 4x sets 6-8 reps
hanging leg raises 4x sets 6-8 reps
Dumbell side bends 3x sets 6-8 reps

rest between sets between 1-2 mins, between exercises... the time it takes to get to the next exercise and set up basically.

i do 2 minutes and a half for squat, 2 minutes for SLDL, 1 minute and a half on the abs and 1 minute for calves and fit very well in my time, usually takes me 45-50 minutes

Whoops !
Original post was in the wrong place - moved it now.
Sorry

im eating at abot 3pm usually 6 or 7 chicken legs then have a maximuscle cyclone shake at about 5pm, i dont eat while training but do drink water. i train at 6pm 3 times a week.